When I had a hostess ask me this month to use Dragonfly Dreams for one of her event cards, I smiled and said “of course!”  Then I did my best Winnie the Pooh impression and sat at my craft table poking my head and saying “think, think, think”.  I had played a little with this set, but I hadn’t actually completed a full card yet.  But, as I started thinking about what other supplies I had lying around my desk I wanted to play with (the Sale-a-Bration Glimmer Paper assortment and the Hexagons Dynamic Embossing folder), some ideas started coming together.  In the end, what was left on my table was this finished card and a great opportunity to mix embossing styles and lots of textures all in one card!

Embossing Technique 1 – Dry Embossing with the Hexagons Embossing Folder

I liked the idea of using the Hexagons Dynamic embossing folder as a background to highlight my dragonfly die cut.  So I grabbed my Layering Circles framelits and cut out the largest scalloped circle (out of Delightful Dijon cardstock) and the second largest circle (out of Very Vanilla).  Then run the Vanilla circle through using the embossing folder.

TIP – cut out your circle BEFORE you do your embossing.  This prevents any of the raised embossed design from getting flattened by a second run through the BigShot.

Then, since most of the colors used on the card were neutrals, using colored Glimmer Paper was a great way to breathe some life into the card.  So I reached for the 6”x6” Glimmer Paper Assortment from the Sale-a-Bration flyer.  The pack includes Mint Macaron, Bermuda Bay, and Sweet Sugarplum options; and I decided to go for the Mint Macaron for my card.  Though really, any of the colors would be pretty!  Add a half of a Stampin’ Dimensional (foam dot) behind the dragonfly body to have him flying above the honeycomb.

TIP – if you purchase the Dragonfly Dreams bundle and the Hexagon Dynamic Embossing Folder before the end of March, you can get the Glimmer Paper Pack for FREE!  Learn more here

Embossing Technique 2 – Heat Embossing with Gold Embossing Powder

So, now I had my centerpiece, but what to do with the rest of the card?  I had this idea to use the dots stamp from the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set as a background – and to step it up with gold heat embossing.  So, I started by stamping with Sahara Sand ink to create a foundation of light colored dots.  Here is the stamp set images,  the dots are one single stamp!

TIP – if you stamp the dots image in a square pattern (so imagine you traced a square on your card front and just stamped on the lines on each side of the square), they will create the pattern shown on my card.

After stamping my initial dots, I cleaned my stamp and wiped down my ENTIRE card front with an embossing buddy.  <—This is an important step!

Then ink your dots stamp with Versamark and randomly add additional dots sticking out from your stamped square.  Stamp your sentiment, like this one from the same set, also in Versamark.  Then you are ready to cover in Gold Embossing Powder and heat set.

It’s hard to photograph heat embossing, but hopefully the photo above helps you see all the gold parts!  Heat embossing is an easy way to add elegance to any card – you should try it on your next card!

Want to make this card at home? Here are the project supplies:

March Rewards Hostess Code is KYNFMU4D

Card Dimensions

• Tip Top Taupe – 4 1/4” x 11”
• Very Vanilla – 4 1/8” x 5 3/8”, 3 1/2” x 3 1/2”
• Delightful Dijon – 3 1/2” x 3 1/2”
• Glimmer Paper – 3” x 3”

March News, Notes, and Specials!

• March Hostess Code is KYNFMU4D – Use this code when you shop online with me and earn extra perks!
  
• ONLY A FEW WEEKS LEFT! Sale-a-Bration is coming to an end on March 31st.
  • For every $50 ordered, pick any item from the Sale-a-Bration catalog to get for FREE added to your order
  • Place a $250 order or party and get an extra $25 to spend for FREE!
  • BEST DEAL – if your wish list is over $100, consider getting the demonstrator starter kit and joining my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers.  You get to pick out $125 in product for $99, get 20% off all your future orders, get 2 stamp sets of any value to add FREE to your kit during Sale-a-Bration, and join the amazing community of my team and demonstrators worldwide online.  Get started here